Domestic Afternoon
by ShayaSar
Summary: Just a glimpse into an afternoon in the Harkness-Jones household. JackxIanto, the twins. Set February 2015.


The quiet of the house was disturbed the second the key was turned in the lock. A cold draught of air came through the door when it was opened and quickly shut again.

"Are you sure, you don't want to try again?" Jack's deep baritone echoed in the entry hallway, accompanied by the sounds of jackets being pulled off and hung up.

"No, it's stupid. I don't like standing in a line, and I don't like the stupid shoes we have to wear," a petulant voice answered him, this time with the underlying sound of shoes being toed off.

"Last week, there was nothing more important than going to this lesson."

"But I don't want to go there anymore, please daddy."

The following sigh was almost so loud to be heard in the living room. "Okay, sweetie. Why don't you sleep over it one night and then we talk about it again, alright?"

"Hmpf, don't wanna go there anymore."

"Anyway, let's see if we can find Tad and Josh somewhere, shall we?"

A moment later a small girl shot into the living room and stopped dead at the doorway, staring at the two people lying on the couch. When heavy footsteps came up behind her, she turned around and held her finger to her lips.

"Shhh daddy, I think Tad and Josh are sleeping."

Smiling down at his normally so hyper girl, he lifted her up, her arms immediately coming around his neck, holding tight. Tiptoeing towards the couch, they could both see that she had been right.

Ianto was stretched out on the couch with Josh sleeping belly to belly on top of him. The small boy's head was nestled safely under Ianto's chin, one thumb in his mouth, while one of Ianto's arms was thrown protectively over the little body.

Jack had to smile at the sight in front of him, they looked both so peaceful. Carefully stepping over to one of the sideboards, Jack managed to pull their digital camera out and switched it on. Katie was unusually quiet and just followed her father's movement with her eyes. When Jack stepped back to the couch and lifted the camera with his free hand, the girl tightened her hold around his neck and pressed herself even closer, putting her head on her father's shoulder.

After snapping a few photos, Jack put the camera back in the drawer and stepped one final time back to the couch. Setting Katie down on the floor, he pressed his finger over his lips to indicate she should be quiet. He then pulled the blanket from the backrest of the couch and spread it gently over the two sleeping figures on the sofa, hoping they wouldn't wake up. When they never even did so much as stir, he got braver and bent down to press a feather light kiss first to Ianto's forehead and then on top of Josh's head as well.

Looking questioningly down at his daughter when he felt her tugging at his trousers, he smiled and nodded, lifting her up so she could mirror her father's actions.

Ianto murmured contently in his sleep when she pressed her mouth a little too strong to his head, but didn't wake up. He just shifted a bit and pulled Josh even closer to his chest in the process.

Sitting the little girl properly on his hip when Jack straightened up again, he put his mouth close to her ear.

"What about we're leaving them alone and go to the kitchen to see if we can't find some hot chocolate and cookies?" Smiling when Katie nodded enthusiastically, Jack quietly backed out of the living room and gently closed the door behind him. Knowing his daughter, he closed the kitchen door as well when they were inside and settled her on one of the chairs.

"So." His hands on his hips, he grinned down at her expectant face. "How would my Ladyship like her hot chocolate?"

Katie giggled happily when she recognize the play and quickly slipped into her role. "The Lady would like to have her hot chocolate with extra cream and marshmallows." She even lifted her chin a bit while speaking.

Jack took a deep bow and had the girl giggling again. "As my Ladyship wishes." He turned to the counter and pulled everything he needed from the cupboard and the fridge. It didn't take long until two mugs of hot chocolate were fixed, topped up with a generous amount of cream and marshmallows already melting away in the hot fluid. He put the mugs on the table with another bow. "I hope the Ladyship will be satisfied with this special brand of hot chocolate, as it had been made from the best cocoa beans available in the world."

Katie giggled again happily. "Dad, you are silly."

"Now, is that a way for a Ladyship to talk to her loyal servant?" Bending down, Jack pulled the squirming and squealing girl to his chest and pressed a kiss to her hair. "Be careful, it's really hot." Releasing Katie from his hold again, he stepped back to the counter and pulled the box with the cookies from a shelf above it. Putting it down on the table as well, he slipped onto a chair next to his daughter and opened the lid of the box.

"Cookie, my Ladyship?"

"Yes, please." Looking into the offered box, Katie stretched her hand out but hesitated. "Can I have one with jam, dad?"

"Sure baby, choose whatever you like." Smiling at his daughter he slid the box into easy reach for the girl and helped himself to a cookie as well.

"So, you really didn't like your ballet lesson?" Jack looked thoughtful at his daughter when she paused in munching her cookie. She was only four years old, but she already had a very stubborn streak to her and when she didn't want to do something, she would fight hands and nails to avoid it. Even if she had fought just as hard to be able to do it in the first place.

Knowing she had pushed for being allowed to go to the ballet lesson, Katie glanced up at her dad sheepishly. "I'm sorry dad. All we did was bending our legs funnily, there was no dancing." Now pushing her lip forward in a pout, Jack suddenly knew why Katie had wanted to go.

"You wanted to go because of the show we saw in the telly, didn't you?" Knowing he had nailed it, when she glanced down guiltily, Jack smiled. "Hey sweetie, the girls in the telly had to train very long and very hard to be able to dance like you saw them to."

Now looking up at her dad with big eyes, Katie all but forgot the cookie still in her hand. "Really?"

"Yes. They had to start learning those moves just like anybody else. They even did the same moves you did in class today when they began their ballet lessons."

"But it's so boring."

Jack laughed. "Well, but if you learn to do these first moves then you can do much more complicated moves in the future."

"And then I can dance like the women in the telly?"

"Possibly. You just have to train very hard. Katie, I won't kid you, learning to do the moves you saw the women do in the telly will take a long time and you might not like all of it, even hate it sometimes. But if you want to try it, Tad and I will help you. What do you say? You can go to the next lesson and maybe a third and then you can decide if you really want to do ballet or if you want to do something else?"

"Okay, daddy." Nodding her consent easily like only a four years old could, Katie shoved the rest of her cookie in her mouth, effectively ending the conversation.

--

Ianto slowly awoke to the sound of muted laughter. Needing a moment to find his bearings he became aware of the warm body cuddled up to his chest. He smiled when he remembered lying down after coming home with Josh and the boy climbing on top of him, instantly searching for the comfort and warmth of his father's arms and falling asleep. The little guy had been very tired after spending the afternoon in the Hub, playing Hide & Seek with Miguel.

Shifting a bit to be able to squint at the clock on their DVR, Ianto saw that it was almost dinner time and Jack and Katie had come home from Katie's ballet lesson at least an hour ago. Sighing, Ianto opened his eyes fully and smiled when he saw the blanket draped over them. He must have been so out of it he hadn't even noticed when Jack and Katie had come in.

Concentrating on the little boy on his chest, he nudged him gently with his chin. "Hey baby, time to wake up." Pressing a kiss into the tousled hair, Ianto pushed himself up with one hand, while holding Josh close to him. The move earned him a protesting snuffle and the small hand placed over his heart grabbed on to the fabric of his shirt. "Josh, come on, it's time to wake up." Tapping lightly on the small back, Ianto chuckled when the snuffle turned into a growl. This would be harder as he thought.

Pushing himself up even more, Ianto managed to get into a sitting position, rubbing over his eyes with one hand to clear the last fog of his mind. Hoping Josh would wake up, when he got moving, Ianto stood up, supporting the boy on his hip. He shook his head and chuckled when the little trouble didn't even open his eyes, only the grip on his shirt got a little tighter, while the small head found a new resting place on Ianto's shoulder.

Resigning to the fact that he wouldn't get Josh to wake up, Ianto followed the noise to the kitchen, grinning when he found Katie and Jack engaged in a game of "Snakes & Ladders". Katie was just laughing out loud when he entered the room and pointed at her dad.

"You have to go down the ladder! I will win again."

Grumbling, Jack pushed his pawn all the way down, grumbling even more when he realized he had to start almost from the beginning again.

"Hey you two, having fun?" Ianto announced his presence and smiled.

"Hello sleepy head. I thought we would have to start dinner without you!" Jack grinned and gave Katie the dice so she could throw them. "But I see there is still someone asleep." Glancing lovingly at the boy in Ianto's arms, Jack winced when Katie howled out in triumph.

"YES! I win, I win." Moving her pawn excitedly to the last position on the board, she clapped happily.

Ianto felt Josh stir at the unexpected noise and blinking lids revealed two bleary blue eyes glancing up at him.

"I guess, he is awake now," Ianto chuckled and hugged Josh closer. "Hey bear, are you with me?" When he only got a mumbled something and more blinking as an answer, Ianto shook his head fondly. "Miguel has totally worn him out. They were running through the Hub all afternoon. How did the ballet lesson go?"

"It was boring, but I will go again and then decide if I want to become a pretty dancer like the ones in the telly. But I need to work hard to be like them," Katie stated matter-of-factly and had her father looking stunned.

Shifting his gaze to Jack, he found his partner grinning broadly. When he raised one eyebrow in question, Jack mouthed to him, he would explain later. Ianto wanted to push the subject further, but a loud yawn at his chest reminded him of the still very much sleepy boy in his arms and he shuffled him a bit higher on his hip so he could look him in the eyes.

"Josh?"

"He's a lazy sleeper!" Katie exclaimed and earned a stern gaze from Ianto.

"Am not." Struggling to be shifted down so he could put his head on his father's shoulder again, Josh blinked a few times more.

"Are too!"

"Am not!" Now being way more alert, Josh continued to fight back, but didn't bother to move one inch from the comfortable position in his Tad's arms.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Hey you too, stop it!" Jack's voice cut through the quarrel and both kids fell silent immediately. "You are both lazy sleepers, as is your Tad." Grinning broadly when he received a tripled "Oi!" Jack rubbed his hands. "Now are you two sleepers up to lose in a game of "Snakes & Ladders"?"

"Watch it, Captain. I think, Katie just put you in your place with that."

"Ach, I let her win," Jack made a discarding gesture with his hand and laughed at his daughter when she gifted him with an indignant look.

"Did not!"

"No, princess, I was just kidding. You won all by yourself." Smiling when Katie nodded satisfied and got busy with pulling two extra prawns from the box, he got distracted by a warm hand on his neck.

Ianto had put Josh down and the boy was just climbing on a chair, when the young man stepped closer to his lover. Putting a hand on Jack's neck, he smiled when the other man instantly moved closer into the touch.

"Hey you." Smiling lovingly down at the handsome face, Ianto chuckled when Jack answered with "Hey yourself." Finally bending down, the two men indulged in a long and gentle kiss, Ianto's fingers caressing the bare skin on Jack's neck, while he felt the other man's hand stroking softly over his thigh and ass. Only when Josh and Katie started to whine did they stop.

Resting their foreheads against each other, they took another moment to look in each other's eyes. They didn't say it out loud, but both knew what they were transmitting with every fibre of their very being. After another quick peck, Ianto straightened up again and slid on the last free chair.

"I want to have the green prawn."

"You always want to have the green one, Tad," Josh said matter-of-factly.

"That's because I gave my favourite blue one up to you, squirt," Ianto countered jokingly and ruffled through Josh's hair. Shifting his gaze to Jack, he found the older man looking at him lovingly.

Times like these were always the best.


End file.
